Audi plans to keep R15 Le Mans Prototype under wraps until Sebring

By
Autoweek

Jan 8, 2009

Don't expect to see Audi's new R15 turbodiesel Le Mans Prototype race car any time soon.

The German manufacturer revealed that it intends to keep a lid on its second-generation diesel prototype until the run-up to its race debut in the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March. The car was tested--in secret--and will not run in public until official testing during the week of the American Le Mans Series season-opener in Florida.

The R15 TDI was given what Audi described as a "rollout" at an undisclosed track in Spain the week before Christmas. That ensured that Audi kept its promise to test the car before the end of the year. The driving was done by the 2008 Le Mans-winning lineup of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello. They were ordered not to comment on the test, though eight-time Le Mans winner Kristensen described the car as "stunning."

"The car ran as planned before Christmas. It was just a rollout and everything went to plan," an Audi spokeswoman said.

"There will be more tests this month, but the plan is to keep the car a secret until Sebring. There will be no official photographs until the week of the race."

Audi has released no technical details of the R15, except to say that it is powered by a new and lighter turbodiesel engine of undisclosed configuration, and to confirm that it is an open-top design.

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